A CCTA bus is out of service at the Cherry Street bus station in downtown Burlington last month. / EMILY McMANAMY/FREE PRESS

Written by

ELIZABETH MURRAY

Free Press Staff Writer

Chittenden County Transportation Authority driver and steward Nate Bergeron said he is optimistic about Wednesday evening’s negotiation session with the authority’s management and a federal mediator.

Bergeron’s optimism comes after representatives from both sides met together Wednesday morning with Gov. Peter Shumlin, Agency of Transportation Secretary Brian Searles, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Administration Jeb Spaulding and Phil Fiermonte, an outreach director for the office of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

“Progress did come out of it,” Bergeron said. “The governor’s been brought up to speed as far as what the issues are, so he’s very familiar as to what’s going on. He’s trying to see if a resolution can be worked out.”

Negotiations began at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at an undisclosed location, but no updates had emerged from the meeting as of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night. A member of CCTA’s Board of Commissioners will be present to observe the meeting, Chairman Tom Buckley said Tuesday.

Drivers, represented by the Teamsters Local 597 bus drivers’ union, have been on strike since March 17. The union and the management have been embroiled in negotiations for a three-year contract for almost a year.

Shumlin said he is confident, after meeting with the two sides, that an agreement will be reached soon. He said he expressed to them the growing frustration that he’s been hearing from Vermont residents affected by the strike — about 9,700 daily riders, including 2,400 city schoolchildren.

“What I expressed is the frustration, that we’ve lost patience and that it’s time to find a resolution so we can get the buses rolling,” Shumlin said. “I was encouraged by the conversation. I left optimistic, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

Shumlin said he thinks both sides heard the message that “Vermonters have lost their patience and that it needs to be resolved now.”

“This is inflicting real pain now, and affecting people who are vulnerable,” Shumlin said.

According to Bergeron, issues of discipline and anonymous complaints have been temporarily compromised upon, but the two sides continue to stick on issues of part-time workers and work schedules. Though the union originally opposed the use of part-time workers, Bergeron said they conceded in the most recent negotiation session, telling the management they could include the use of part-timers in the contract.

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In return, Bergeron said, the union asked the management to meet their request for 12.5 hours being the maximum time within which working hours could be scheduled — which is called for in the current contract. The two sides had agreed upon 13.5 hours temporarily, but the union asked to go back to the current contract’s language after compromising on part-time workers.

General Manager Bill Watterson said the most recent contract included 12.5 hour spread times for full-time drivers. Watterson said the issue of wages and work rules for part-time workers also remain unresolved.

The most recent contract from CCTA, which is posted on CCTA’s website and which drivers rejected Monday, calls for maximum scheduled spread time to span 12.5 hours, except for 20 percent of the drivers who could have shifts that spread over 13.5 hours. However, the contract proposal said “any hours worked on a scheduled split shift in excess of twelve and one half hours (12 ½) shall be paid at one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) hourly premium above the prevailing wage.”

“CCTA is prepared to find ways to reach compromise on our remaining differences,” Watterson said, adding that CCTA is prepared to work with the 12.5-hour spread time. “If the drivers’ union is prepared to do the same, then I think we can reach an agreement.”

A special CCTA Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday.